I have found some passages in which the imperfect does *not* refer to the
past. These passages may be significant for our discussion of aspect and the
augment here on B-Greek.

Robertson calls this category the "potential imperfect" (Big Yellow Tome, p.
885). I don't see how to construe these passages in a manner that lets the
imperfect refer to the past. In these passages, the imperfect takes a
meaning of potential desire - "I should like", "I could wish":